Heists At Christmas — Review Of Porch Pirates (2024)
'Tis the season of gift giving and celebrating, and it involves lots of shopping. Imagine if the gifts wrapped in shiny paper and tied with colourful bows are delivered to people's doorsteps, and Santa Claus wearing pirate mask zooms by and steals them all away? I think that would create some chaos and dampen the Christmas spirit. And this happens to be the premise of the recent holiday release, Porch Pirates (2024).
First, the title piqued my interest. With no obvious reference to Christmas or the holidays, I assumed it was a film about adventures at sea and pirates but it turned out differently, in a fascinating way. It's about three detectives in a small East Texas town working to take down a gang of porch thieves. Yes, I think porch theft is a thing in the States. And don't think too hard—neither Jack Sparrow or Barbossa are leading this gang.
This gang are a group of young men with their tech-savvy lady accomplice who work at a pizza shop during the day. They decide to make more money in addition to their pay from the pizza shop. It's almost Christmas and as is the norm, the residents of that town are busy shopping online for gifts.
Jack and Marcos are detectives in that town and also brothers-in-law. When packages start to go missing from residents’ porches and front door cameras reveal the masked thieves, they are worried. The last straw is when the mayor's prized stuffed animal is stolen from his porch along with other packages.
The police chief at the insistence of the mayor immediately brings in Sally Jones, a female detective to assist Jack and Marcos in this emergency situation. This gang is not some naive group but well equipped with tech gadgets to aid their heists. Can this trio solve this crime and restore the town's holiday spirit?
Review
This indie film is not your typical cutesy holiday romance but better. It's a family-friendly crime thriller that blends suspense, humour and a hint of romance to make it an entertaining watch. The director, Jeff Hamm, takes the audience through the mind and motives of the gang side by side with how the police work in such cases. Some scenes appear predictable but the small town vibes makes this film more charming.
At first, I found it odd that this gang methodically planned to steal the residents' packages. I mean, it's Christmas. Why not be nice rather than be grouchy? Instead the thieves are more interested in filling their pockets with money, regardless of the season. “It pays more than delivering pizza,” one of them said. I admire how the three detectives—Marcos, Jack and Sally—put their heads together, using old-fashioned methods of solving crime (rather than rely on tech) to find these slippery thieves.
The storytelling and cast performance are well executed. We not only follow the efforts of the detectives but also have some peep into their personal lives and that's where the comedy and romance comes in. I'm not familiar with the actors but their acting is good. The bromance between Jack and Marcos is funny and relatable. The drama at home with Jack's wife who happens to be Marcos' sister is hilarious.
Despite the indie status of this film and its modest budget, the cinematography and pacing are good but could be better. There are scenes where I think the detectives can do their jobs differently and apprehend the pirates sooner, but where's the fun in that? It's endearing this way.
Overall, Porch Pirates is an entertaining film with a clever plot, solid script and good storytelling. Though not perfect, the charm and good performance make it worth watching. It's one I'd recommend for the family at Christmas. I give it a solid 3 stars out of 5.
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Images are screenshots from the movie trailer
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I'd add this to my watchlist solely because you say it's not the romance, Christmas-miracle type, and something unique that isn't about Christmas cheer sounds just about exciting right now. Thanks for the hearty recommendation. This was a lovely read.🌺
It was refreshing to watch a film that breaks away from the usual tropes. A crime thriller at Christmas in a small town. I hope you enjoy as much as I did. Thanks so much for your visit and support. ✨
!PIMP